![]() ![]() However according to Vishal, “It is perhaps his understanding of the role of religion at the collective, political and cultural levels that leads him to say what he does.” Last November, at Christ University in Bangalore, the Dalai Lama repeated that religious freedom should be protected, even as he spoke of the need to avoid conversions. ![]() Vishal Arora, a TMP board member and independent journalist based in Delhi, India, who has reported widely on a range of issues from religious fundamentalism to war in the South Asian region, said the Dalai Lama's remarks should be understood in its context.Īccording to Arora, Buddhism in Tibet is not only a religion that people practice privately but it is something that defines the region's distinct culture, a culture the Chinese smother through repression and intimidation. The Dalai Lama has, however, reiterated that religious freedom should be guaranteed to all. He made references to Australian missionary Graham Staines, burnt alive in his car with his two sons, and the ongoing violence and destruction in Orissa and Karnataka. The Dalai Lama added that the two parties in a conversion - the convert and the community abandoned by the convert - are at high risk of conflict. The Chinese see religion as the greatest hindrance in absorbing Tibet and have been waging a cultural war against it. This question of religious tolerance and behavior is one that hangs over the exiled leader's homeland constantly, since over 100 Tibetans have self-immolated during the last two years in graphic demonstrations of non-allegiance to the Chinese government. Dalai lama religion series#Xavier’s College, Mumbai, January 23 sparked a series of debates among critics. “I do not like conversions because they have a negative impact ,” said the Dalai Lama according to Asia News. If the child chooses the artifacts that belonged to he previous Lama, than that, along with the other signs, is believed to prove he is a reincarnation.The Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of over 5 million Tibetan Buddhists, supports religious freedom but disapproves of proselytism. Once found, the officials present the boy with possessions of the previous Dalai Lama to determine whether the boy is familiar with them. According to the British Broadcasting Corp., the officials can decide where to look for the reincarnation in several ways: by way of a dream by watching the direction the smoke drifts after the cremation of the previous Lama and then searching accordingly or from some sign or vision from a holy lake in central Tibet. These searchers look for a boy who was born around the same time as the death of the previous Lama. Senior Buddhist monks and Tibetan government officials begin a search for the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama after the death of the previous Lama. Buddhism came to Tibet from India and became the state religion in the 8th century. Yes, but Tibetan Buddhism is effectively a religion that, like its leader, was forced into exile after the Chinese occupation. ![]() More broadly, he has worked to boost awareness of the situation in Tibet and promote the preservation of Tibetan culture. He has met widely with political and religious leaders, including the late Pope John Paul II. The Dalai Lama has taken his message to the United Nations and persuaded the world body to adopt resolutions calling for the protection of the Tibetan people on four occasions. He has sought to publicize the plight of Tibetans on the global stage. The Dalai Lama traditionally claims to be head of Tibet’s government. What is the Dalai Lama’s political significance? As such, the Dalai Lama is considered the spiritual leader of Tibet and one of Buddhism’s most important leaders anywhere. In Buddhist tradition, bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who chose rebirth, rather than moving on to the afterlife, in order to serve humanity. ![]() What is the Dalai Lama’s spiritual significance?Īccording to Buddhist belief, the Dalai Lamas are earthly incarnations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of compassion and patron saint of Tibet. The Dalai Lama states on his Web site that he does not seek to separate Tibet from China, but rather advocates a “middle-way approach whereby Tibet remains within the People’s Republic of China enjoying a high degree of self-rule or autonomy.” The Dalai Lama has led an effective government-in-exile based in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959 amid a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama remains immensely popular in Tibet. China, which has ruled Tibet with a heavy hand since its forces invaded in 1951, considers the Dalai Lama a separatist and traitor for advocating Tibetan self-rule. ![]()
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